A new troodontid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of central China, and the radiation of Asian troodontids. 2010. Lü, J.−C., et al. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (3): 381–388.
CLICK TO ENLARGE A new troodontid dinosaur,
Xixiasaurus henanensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Cretaceous Majiacun Formation of the Xixia Basin, Henan Province, is erected, based on a partial skull. It is characterized by bearing 22 maxillary teeth, a distinct opening on the lateral surface of the base of nasal process of the premaxilla, the rostral end of the upper jaw forming a tapered U−shape, and the mandibular symphyseal region slightly inflected medially.
Xixiasaurus is most closely related to the Mongolian
Byronosaurus among troodontids.
Byronosaurus,
Urbacodon, and
Xixiasaurus may form a new clade, suggesting an endemic radiation of troodontids across Asia, including multiple taxa without dental serrations. The discovery of
Xixiasaurus in the Xixia Basin may imply that the
Xixiasaurus−bearing Majiacun Formation is Campanian in age.
